


It's All For You

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Fluffvember 2019 [25]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Found Family, Love Confessions, Multi, Snusmumriken | Snufkin & Ninni | Ninny Adopted Siblings, Snusmumriken | Snufkin Has Paws and a Tail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:34:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,535
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21564613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: Snufkin is thinking of confessing to Moomin and Snorkmaiden, but can't decide how. Meanwhile, Ninny is recruiting her new family to help her put together something to say thank you to Moominmamma and Too-Ticky for everything they do.Fluffvember Day 25: "Trust Me" | "You did this for me?"
Relationships: Mumintrollet | Moomintroll/Snorkfröken | The Snork Maiden/Snusmumriken | Snufkin, Springtime Trio
Series: Fluffvember 2019 [25]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1533602
Comments: 4
Kudos: 55





	It's All For You

Snufkin lay on his back in the meadow, his hat over his face, a long piece of grass held between his teeth, seemingly asleep.

His tail twitched beside him, a slow, comforting back and forth as he thought.

He'd thought it through, unable to get it out of him mind as he traveled, niggling at him the entire winter and into the summer, and was doing so again. On the one hand, if this went wrong, it would be awkward to come back to Moomin Valley. But given it was Snorkmaiden and Moomin, they'd be gentle about letting him down, and it would smooth over sooner or later.

On the other, if things worked out, they'd all be happier. It would be a lot of work, a lot more openness than they did sometimes, but it would be worth it.

Now, how to make sure there was no confusion...they were going to have to communicate a lot to make this work, and that...well, it wasn't always their strong suit.

At least he was getting better at it. Snufkin knew he'd been more open when they'd first met, but when he started getting to know people, that was when the expectations started, and the ties, and usually when he had to flee.

Not this time, and it was time to start being open again, as strange as that felt.

But if this went wrong...it could go very wrong. Wrong enough to leave them all hurting, and hurting badly.

But he was hurting now...was the risk worth it? Was it worth the risk that they didn't feel the same, that only one of them did, that he'd read the situation wrong, worth it, or would everyone just end up hurt?

No, he'd decided once, he had to think of how to do this. No matter how afraid he was of hurting them with it. No reward without risk, even if the risk was something as precious as Moomin Valley, the reward was as precious.

Maybe it wasn't such a risk, he thought, remembering last summer, when Moominmamma had caught him watching Moomin and Snorkmaiden with the look of longing he usually managed to hide. When she'd said, in her most casual, offhand manner, that Moomins often had more love inside them than could be focused on just one person, with a meaningful glance at her son, before letting the subject drop.

His tail flicked harder, sending the sensation of grass though the thick fur up Snufkin's back, and he chewed on the end of the stem harder. He could make a new song...but he didn't have a guitar right now, and lyrics were impossible with a harmonica, so it would be easy for them to miss that the song was about them unless he told them before he started to play. Romantic, right up Snorkmaiden's alley, but better with a guitar.

...Moominpappa might have one lying around.

As for lyrics...there was a small notebook among Snufkin's few possessions, one he'd nearly filled. The ones that had come before he'd buried when he'd finished with them, not caring enough about them to keep them and take up precious space in his pack.

But this one...he wasn't sure he'd give it up. He hadn't recognized the feelings when he'd first felt compelled to put pen to paper while on his winter's travels, and given he'd felt the need to make a few about the Moominparents and his other friends and Moomin Valley, well, he thought he could be forgiven taking awhile to realize what he felt.

Now that he had a plan, Snufkin's tail slowed and he lazily moved, tossing the grass aside. He'd take a little nap, now that he had that problem partially solved, since it had been keeping him up with nightmares of how it could all go wrong.

\---XXX---

Ninny found Snufkin napping in the meadow, lying on his back with his paws interlaced over his stomach and his hat over his face.

She hesitated until his tail flipped, letting her know he was awake – and, most likely, aware she was there.

Ninny made her careful way through the flowers, sitting next to Snufkin. Now that she was going between Mymble and Too-Ticky and Too-Ticky's sister, living with each of them in turn, she wasn't worried like she once would have been about sitting on the grass and getting dirty.

She shifted, again and again, chewing on a piece of her hair, until Snufkin spoke. “What's on your mind?”

“I want to do something special, mostly for Moominmamma but for all of you,” she said. “To thank all of you for everything. Because I love all of you and I'm so happy to have all of you.”

“Moominmamma does deserve special things done for her,” Snufkin agreed, muffled by his hat.

“But so does Too-Ticky, for bringing me here and being such a good big sister to me. And Mymble's adopted me, and I didn't realize I even wanted siblings until I had her and Mymble and Little My and you. Especially not a big brother.”

Snufkin smiled from under his hat and lifted his still clasped paws.

Ninny took the invitation and squirmed under his arms, sprawling across Snufkin's chest, her cheek pressed to his smock so she could hear his heart. He pressed lightly on her back with his paws, letting them rest on her back while his tail curled around her waist.

“I know what you mean,” he said. “We all have a lot to thank Moominmamma for.”

Ninny stroked the tail around her waist gently, marveling again at the thick fluff of it. Snufkin touched them – a select few, chosen ones – with it quite a bit now that it was visible, and was often a bit embarrassed when it gave away his true feelings.

And though they'd had different needs – Ninny to stand up for herself, to yell out her presence, and Snufkin to be sure of his, that he was seen for himself and loved – they both had Moominmamma to thank in the end, in their own ways, for being visible.

Snufkin chuckled softly. “It's funny, I was just thinking of doing something special for Moomin and Snorkmaiden,” he said.

“You're finally going to confess?” Ninny asked, popping up to her elbows, braced on her brother.

“Ow. And what do you mean?” he asked, looking at her from under his brim.

Ninny rolled her eyes. “Well it's obvious that Moomin pines when you're gone,” she said, in that particular tone of younger siblings which she had learned very quickly. “And Snorkmaiden's starting to, too. Little My told me all about it, and how Snorkmaiden was going to go find you the one year you were late and Moomin was too sick to wait at the bridge for you.”

“...that has nothing to do with confessing anything.”

“Oh really?” Ninny said. “I know Snorkmaiden goes all pink sometimes when she watches you. I know Moomin sighs and watches you all longingly. I know you only come back here.”

“...my family is here,” Snufkin said, squeezing Ninny again with the hands that lay folded on her back. “I never thought I'd want one, let alone one this big. Can't I want to come back to people I love?”

Ninny rubbed her cheek against Snufkin's chest. “Aw, I love you too, big brother. Now stop dodging my question?”

“You think I have something to confess, do you?”

Ninny poked at Snufkin's hat, lifting it to look at his face. He cracked open an eye to look at her, trying not to smile.

“Yes you do!” she insisted. “Little My thinks so, too. She told me how tired she is of watching the three of you be oblivious and too scared to make a move. We'll help you if you won't do it on your own.”

Snufkin hummed softly, and Ninny crossed her arms, lying more comfortably across his chest. “Will you help me do something special for Moominmamma and Too-Ticky and the rest, if I help you confess?”

Snufkin laughed. “You think I need help, do you?” he said. “...you think it'll work out, huh?”

Ninny nodded, and Snufkin raised a paw to stroke her hair. “Well, don't spread it around, but yes. I am planning to confess, I'm just thinking how best to do it. That might be something I need to do on my own. But we might want more help to do something really special for Moominmamma. Let me think about it?”

Ninny nodded, and Snufkin pulled his hat back into place. “Well then, back to our nap, and we'll see.”

Ninny looked about to protest, but the sun was warm, her brother was comfortable, and his tail was so soft...

She drifted off to sleep atop her brother, who laid awake awhile longer before sleep claimed him.

Was he really that obvious?

\---XXX---

According to Little My, yes, he was, and so were the other two, and it was about time one of them did something about it.

Snufkin hid behind his hat. “He's thinking about how to,” Ninny defended him.

Little My crossed her arms. “All right, but think hard. Quit putting it off. And watch those two if you still think they aren't gonna say yes,” she said, tilting her head to where Moomin and Snorkmaiden were coming down the path towards Snufkin's tent.

“Be nice to your brother,” Joxter's voice came from the tree above them, and Moomin flinched as if expecting Joxter to pounce on him from above. “We're here to talk about Moominmamma and this Too-Ticky.”

Ninny began to bristle, and Joxter laughed. “Calm down, little tiger, I'm just biased and haven't met her yet.”

He dropped down onto the grass, leaning against a log and watching the rest of them. “So, why'd you ask me to participate?”

“Because while I'd like to keep it small, I think it might mean more if we have everyone in Moomin Valley that loves Moominmamma there,” Snufkin said, shifting to make room for Moomin and Snorkmaiden on his log, and trying not to blush when Snorkmaiden daintily sat on the log and Moomin sat on the ground by his side, leaning against his leg while Ninny took the other side. One thing at a time. “It's Ninny's idea, and we should listen to her.”

“Mamma will love anything you do for her,” Moomin pointed out. “She doesn't need big gestures. I mean, she gets how making big gestures is uncomfortable for some of us.”

Ninny nodded, ponytail bouncing. “I know, and I don't mean quite everyone, but...well, I wrote down the guest list, but it's mostly us, and Thingummy and Bob if we can get ahold of them, people like that.

And...I had a few ideas that I want to run past everyone, and we might need Moominpappa for,” Ninny said, and she started stroking Snufkin's tail when everyone stared at her, playing with it nervously. “Okay, so...”

\---XXX---

Joxter stayed in the campsite after everyone had left. “It's a good idea, that this little one has,” he said.

Snufkin hummed softly, sliding off the log to lean against it and look up at the stars.

“How's it feel to suddenly have another child?”

“At this point, I'm starting to enjoy the surprise children,” Joxter replied, a smile in his voice. “She's a sweet girl.”

“Think you'll help?”

“Yeah. You decide your plan yet?”

“Does everyone know but me?” Snufkin asked, his tail giving an irritated flick.

Joxter's laughter floated over the fire. “Well, unfortunately, two very important people are in the dark and tearing themselves up over being in love with two people at once. And I'm pretty sure that outside our little circle, everyone else is oblivious.

But Snufkin?” Joxter continued. Snufkin looked across the fire to his father, the flames reflecting back from those bright blue eyes. “Don't wait too long. They don't strike me as the type to get too upset if it's not perfect.”

Snufkin chuckled softly. “There was about a year where Snorkmaiden was trying to be a proper lady and she was jealous over everything – it might have mattered them.”

“Obviously she's not anymore, or you wouldn't still feel this way,” Joxter said.

Snufkin sighed, looking back up at the sky.

“Snufkin? You've got this, kiddo.” Snufkin smiled, not moving, but relaxing at the words he didn't realize he needed to hear.

“...thanks, dad.”

\---XXX---

Moominpappa had been brought in on the plan, after his own little surprise – a sort of just-because father's day in the middle of summer.

It took him a few minutes to recover from the hugs and sweet sentiments sent his way, and he leaned back on the log, Joxter perched on the log and leaning on him, to think.

Joxter was wearing a flower crown around his hat just as Moominpappa was, courtesy of Ninny, who was making it clear that if he was Snufkin's pappa, and had adopted the rest of Mymble's brood (specifically, Mymble and Little My) then he had to be her pappa too, along with Moominpappa, no excuses.

Joxter wasn't giving any, and was wearing the crown proudly.

From the way Joxter and Moominpappa were glancing at each other when the other wasn't looking, Snufkin got a pretty good idea just why his pappa was being so sympathetic towards how he felt...and why Joxter could see what Snufkin hadn't.

Snufkin glanced over at Moomin and caught the edge of a longing glance before Moomin snapped his attention back where it belonged.

...they really were oblivious, all of them. He just hoped Snorkmaiden was in as deep as his sisters claimed.

\---XXX---

Tonight was the night.

He was doing this.

The cards said tonight was the right night for it – chances of things going well were highest tonight, and he needed to seize the moment.

Moomin would be easy to convince – it was just another late night outing with Snufkin, after all.

Snufkin didn't expect Snorkmaiden to meet him as he came up to her house, flushed pink and asking him to meet her and Moomin on the beach tonight, just trust her, the small cliffs, please?

Since that suited his plans, (and he wanted to spend time with them even if it hadn't) Snufkin had no problem saying yes.

\---XXX---

Snufkin carried the guitar his father had brought along with him down to the beach. It had been some time, but he'd found time to practice, and it would do for what he needed tonight better than his harmonica.

He, personally, didn't think he'd enjoy being serenaded...but knowing Moomin and Snorkmaiden and their flair for the romantic, well, this was something he could do for them.

There was a small campfire on top of the cliff, where Snufkin had come before to see the place where sky and sea met, reflecting back onto each other until it seemed one was surrounded by stars.

He paused as he reached the top, finding a romantic picnic spread out over the rocks, candles, flowers, and a pair of very hopeful eyes.

“This looks a lot like a date,” he said cautiously.

The two shifted, Snorkmaiden's colors hard to make out in the campfire's light. “What if it were?” Moomin asked hesitantly. “What if it were a date, and we wanted you here?”

“You did this...for me?” Snufkin said wonderingly.

Snorkmaiden nodded. “We have something to ask you,” she said.

“I actually had something to show both of you,” Snufkin said. “I...well if I'm reading this wrong it's going to be really awkward but...”

He pulled the guitar around, sitting on a rock, keenly aware of their fascinated eyes on him as he began strumming. He kept his eyes and his attention on the guitar and song, knowing he'd lose his voice and nerve if he could see their eyes right now.

There was an awed silence as Snufkin finished, and he glanced up to see stars in Snorkmaiden and Moomin's eyes to rival the ones in the sky.

“You wrote that for us?” Snorkmaiden breathed.

Snufkin nodded, his tail whipping anxiously.

Snorkmaiden leapt to her feet, rushing forward to throw her arms around Snufkin. Moomin joined her, nuzzling at Snufkin's cheek.

“That was wonderful! Oh, Snufkin!”

“I had a feeling you two might appreciate being told in song form,” Snufkin said, his tail going wild behind him with joy. “I was afraid to tell you before now.”

“So were we,” Snorkmaiden said, helping Snufkin to his feet and tugging the boys – her boys, now – over to the picnic. “Moominmamma had a little talk with Moomin, and he had a talk with me – it was the most awkward thing ever...”

“Snorkmaiden isn't giving herself enough credit, I was a mess, she...”

“Was as much a mess, just had thought it out ahead of time,” Snorkmaiden said, reaching out to touch Moomin. “We've all be so scared of hurting each other. But Moominmamma's right – we've all got so much love in us, we've more than enough for all three of us to be together.”

Snufkin took her paw and pressed a kiss to the back of it, making Snorkmaiden blush. “Once again, Moominmamma to the rescue,” he said. “My sisters were telling me it was past time to confess. I think everyone in our circle knew but us.”

“I think your Pappa likes mine,” Moomin said after they had sat for awhile, listening to the ocean and being together in the wake of their confessions. “And the other way around.”

“Does that bother you?” Snufkin asked, Moomin already shaking his head. “I think it's something to think about after the surprise for Moominmamma...but I'd like them to be as happy as we are, too.”

\---XXX---

The three of them kept their new status quiet, for now – they'd tell Moominmamma at the party.

Given how everyone apparently knew how they'd been pining, they thought she might enjoy knowing they'd gotten their act together.

Though, since Snufkin had been borrowing Joxter's guitar, they had a feeling he already knew, though he was keeping it to himself – for now.

\---XXX---

Snufkin and Ninny stifled their giggles, carefully leading Moominmamma and Too-Ticky along, both women blindfolded and taking it patiently.

“It's only a little farther, Mamma,” Snufkin said, holding both her paws in his and very glad he'd gone over the path earlier to clear it. He noticed a second too late that he'd left the 'Moomin' off of Moominmamma's name, but didn't correct himself. There really wasn't anything to correct.

“What are you planning?” she asked.

Ninny giggled. “Just trust us,” she said.

“We do, but it's still odd,” Too-Ticky said.

The four came to the edge of the party, leading the blindfolded pair into the center of it all.

Snufkin let go of Moominmamma's paws while Ninny did the same to Too-Ticky.

“Just stay here, Mamma, Too-Ticky. You can take the blindfolds off soon, just wait for us to tell you,” Snufkin said.

Moominmamma folded her paws in front of her. “All right, dear...”

There was the sound of scuffling as Snufkin and Ninny got into position, and Ninny's voice rang out. “Okay, take them off now!”

They both took off the blindfolds and stared as music rang out, Joxter on guitar and Snufkin on harmonica, Snorkmaiden with a tamborine while the rest of them cried out, “Surprise!”

They were surrounded – Mymble and Little My, Moomin and Snorkmaiden, Joxter and Snufkin, Moominpappa and Thingummy and Bob and half a dozen others whom they'd helped.

A table of food sat off to the side, the decorations on the cake clumsy but obviously heartfelt, foods they recognized as having taught someone or obviously Snufkin's doing, lights hung from the trees, and there was a banner overhead, reading “Thank You Moominmamma and Too-Ticky!”

“Should be just for Moominmamma,” Too-Ticky said as Mymble hurried forward to her.

Mymble giggled. “Surprise, you've been adopted,” she said lightly, taking Too-Ticky's paw and touching her cheek. “It was Ninny's idea, and Snufkin helped put it together. We wanted to say thank you for everything the two of you do. Being the voice of reason can't be easy.”

“You did this all for us?” Moominmamma said, softly overwhelmed.

“You need someone to remind you how grateful we are for everything you do now and again,” Mymble said gently. She reached out and took Moominmamma's paw as well. “Come on, let's have some cake. And enjoy the music – Joxter and Snufkin wrote it for the party.”

\---XXX---

Snufkin found himself being given a huge hug as soon as Moominmamma was able to find him, one he returned, tail waving happily.

Moominmamma was thrilled when Moomin and Snorkmaiden came up beside Snufkin, laying paws on his shoulders to tell her the good news, clasping her paws and beaming.

Later, Snufkin saw her and Moominpappa with his father, the three of them talking earnestly.

Joxter was enveloped in a Moomin hug moments later, and Snufkin hoped it all worked out as well for the four of them as it was for him.

Given everyone involved in both parties...the future was looking brighter than ever.


End file.
